Prowess — what does it mean?
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Prowess appears on 100 cards.
How does Prowess work?
Prowess is a triggered ability. Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, the creature with prowess gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Instants and sorceries are the obvious ones, but artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers and battles count too. A creature spell never counts, and that includes an artifact creature: it's still a creature spell. Playing a land does nothing either, because a land isn't a spell.
The trigger goes on the stack above the spell that caused it, so the bonus arrives before that spell resolves. It also doesn't care what happens to the spell afterward: if an opponent counters your instant, your creature still gets its +1/+1. What counts is casting. Copies of a spell aren't cast, so copying a spell doesn't trigger prowess, and neither does activating an ability. A spell you cast without paying its mana cost, or from somewhere other than your hand, does count.
Each instance triggers separately. A creature with prowess twice gets +2/+2 for every noncreature spell, and two creatures with prowess each get their own bonus. Because the bonus lasts until end of turn, the strongest moment to cast your spells is after blockers are declared: your opponent has already committed, and every cheap instant makes the creature bigger right before damage. Your opponent can respond to the trigger, though, for example by removing the creature before the bonus resolves.
An example at the table
You attack with a 1/2 with prowess, and your opponent blocks with a 2/2. After blocks you cast a one-mana instant that draws a card. Prowess triggers and resolves first, so your creature is 2/3. You cast a second cheap instant and it becomes 3/4. In the combat damage step it deals 3 damage to the 2/2, which dies, and takes 2 damage itself, which isn't enough to kill a 3/4. In the cleanup step the damage is removed at the same moment the bonus ends, so your creature survives as a 1/2.
Cards with Prowess
Pinnacle Monk // Mystic PeakIllustration: Jason A. Engle
Harmonic ProdigyIllustration: Nathaniel Himawan
Stormcatch MentorIllustration: Manuel Castañón
Monastery MentorIllustration: Magali Villeneuve
Kitsa, Otterball EliteIllustration: Zoltan BorosCommon mistakes
- Thinking a creature spell triggers prowess. Only noncreature spells do, and an artifact creature spell counts as a creature spell.
- Expecting copies to trigger it. A copy of a spell isn't cast, so it doesn't trigger prowess.
- Thinking the bonus is lost when your spell gets countered. The trigger is separate from the spell and resolves on its own.
- Counting lands or activated abilities. Neither is casting a spell.
Frequently asked questions
- Does prowess trigger on my opponent's spells?
- No. Prowess only triggers on noncreature spells that you cast.
- Does prowess stack?
- Yes. Every noncreature spell gives a separate trigger, and a creature with multiple instances of prowess gets a trigger from each one.
- Does prowess trigger if the spell is countered?
- Yes. The trigger happens when you cast the spell and resolves before it, so countering the spell doesn't undo the bonus.
- Does a free spell trigger prowess?
- Yes. Casting a spell without paying its mana cost is still casting it.
Official rule: Comprehensive Rules 702.108. More on where this rulebook comes from under Sources.
Often seen with
FlyingVigilanceHasteTransformDouble strike
Which cards with Prowess do you own? →
Last updated: 26 October 2026